Book Review: The Confession

The Confession reminded me of two books I have read before. 

The first is Michael Crichton’s State of Fear.

State of Fear was basically Michael Crichton’s well scripted argument against global warming and it’s bogus research.  Crichton studied so much and cared so much about the topic of global warming that he testified to Congress on the matter. (Read his testimony here)   

The Confession by John Grisham, is not about Global Warming.  It is about Capital Punishment.  It’s the story of a young black male, who was questioned for hours and hours and hours about the death of a white female classmate, then  coerced into giving a bogus confession which led to his conviction and death sentence.  The young man is innocent, and is sitting on death row.  His appeals have been denied and all hope is lost until days before the execution, the real killer 9who is dying of a brain tumor) confesses his crime to a pastor.  The pastor then works like mad to get the killer to drive to Mississippi, confess, and stop the execution of an innocent man….

This book is Grisham’s referendum on the death penalty.  Which brings me to the second book it reminds me of:

An Innocent Man, also by John Grisham.

An Innocent Man is THE TRUE STORY about a young man coerced into giving a bogus confession, convicted of murder, sentenced to death, and then left waiting on death row for appeals or execution.  It is rather obvious that writing An Innocent Man had a strong impact on Grisham.  He is now on the board of directors of the Innocence Project in New York, and is chairman of the board of the Mississippi Innocence Project. 

In preparation for writing “The Confession” Grisham made frequent visits to death row at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. He got to know the guards, the inmates and the stories of some of the convicted killers' victims, he said.

He even let guards strap him in the death chamber gurney to get a feel for it.

This book does not go how you expect.  It is not predictable, and it is a good read.  But more importantly it makes you think.  While reading the book I had two strong feelings.

1.       “They have to save the innocent man, and the death penalty shouldn’t be allowed.”

2.       “They should convict the real killer and put him to death immediately for the rape and murder of an innocent girl.”

Grisham makes you think of both sides.  The pros and cons of capital punishment.  He shows the ridiculous politicization of the issue, and the people who are hurt or killed because of it.

I had lost faith in Grisham as a writer – this book brought me back, and reminded me why I enjoy his novels.